STANDISH — Thanks to community support, Standish Baptist Church is going on a crusade.

The City Wide Old Fashioned Bible Crusade will be held at the Arenac County Fairgrounds Sunday, Aug. 28 through Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. The crusade is free to the public and will feature sermons from and hymn music.

Standish Baptist Church Pastor Don Killey said he has been thinking about hosting a crusade for around two years.

“I did some studying on it and I just thought, ‘You know, let’s do something different,’” he said. “I believe that a person’s faith is stretched when they step out of their comfort zone and that is why I wanted to do this.”

Killey said volunteers and members of the congregation will be out advertising the crusade in the city of Standish to get as many people to the event as possible.

“We will be happy if 300 people show up or 50 people show up,” he said.

Killey said members of Standish Baptist’s congregation, comprised of around 35 members, are nervous about the crusade.

“We are not sure how this is all going to play out,” he said. “We are all excited and we are hoping for the best, but we are stretching beyond anything we have ever done.”

Killey said the City of Standish and the Arenac County Fair Board were a big help in getting the crusade started.

“I went to the city and asked them what I should do,” Killey said. “I was not sure if there was a place inside the city where we could host this event.”

Killey said he was referred to the Arenac County Fair Board to see if the fairgrounds would be a good destination for the event.

“The fair board told me that this was a great idea and the fairgrounds would be a great place for the event,” he said. “It’s still inside the city limits, it’s close to where we are. It all worked out.”

Arenac County Fair Board President Bill Daniels said the board was happy to accommodate the church for its event.

“We want the fairgrounds to be used for more than just the Arenac County Fair,” he said. “It’s a great piece of land and we are glad to help them. The more activities that are there, the better.”

While talking to city officials and the fair board, Killey discovered that this crusade is the first of its kind in Standish.

“They told me that they have not heard of any church in the Standish area doing anything like this,” he said.

Killey said the crusade will take place at a pavilion at the fairgrounds, and will be held in the Browns Building if it rains.

He said the public is welcome to bring lawn chairs, but seating will be provided.

“We got a lot of help from volunteers and other churches for this event,” he said.

Killey said if the event is a success, the church will look to hold another crusade next year.

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